The people that you meet each day

I’m talking off early this afternoon for the July 4th weekend, and I’ll be away until Monday. You can find the weekend service advisories at the bottom of this post or click here to jump to them.

Last night, on my way back from dinner in Manhattan, an elderly lady got on the train at Borough Hall and didn’t realize she was going the wrong way. When we pulled into Hoyt St., she asked me if she was on a Brooklyn-bound train, and then she wanted to know the best way to switch to train back to Manhattan. At Nevins St. and Atlantic Ave., she had the choice of navigating a few flights of stairs, but she preferred to transfer across the platform at Grand Army Plaza. I helped her with these directions, and she thanked me as I left.

While getting her on the way, I didn’t have a chance to talk to her about anything else, but now and then, if the opportunity arises, I’ll find myself in conversation with strangers on the trains. I’ve seen celebrities and friends; I’ve met strangers on the train. Mostly, I ride in silence, reading a book or relaxing, but the trains provide us with that space to meet someone. We’re all in it together after all.

A handful of recent stories about connections on a train struck me as amusing. Michael Grynbaum in his Off the Rails column for City Room found that most of the Craigs List Missed Connections that mention the subway take place along the L train. I can’t wait for the “Hipsters in Love” movie to come out. A few years ago, I wondered why people don’t find more romance on the subways and concluded that we mostly distrust strangers we find talking to us on the subways.

There is, it seems a cure for that. Enter Submate, the subway social networking site. Still in its infancy, the site is designed to connect people who share all or parts of the same commute. WPIX profiled Submate a few weeks ago. I wonder if that could take off. Who wouldn’t want a little companionship on a sluggish morning commute?

Finally, Good Magazine asked its Twitter and Facebook followers a very simple question: Who’s the most interesting person you’ve met on public transportation? Yesterday, they published some answers, and I enjoyed reading about riders who meet and befriend strangers. From the crazies to the friendlies, all types of riders are represented. You never know who — or what — you might find on the train.

After the jump, this week’s service advisories.

With the holiday upon us, this is a light weekend for service changes. The most important thing to remember is that service on Monday, July 5 will run on a Saturday schedule. Otherwise, everything is tame.

These come to me via New York City Transit and are subject to change without notice. Listen for announcements on board your train, and be sure to check the signs at your local stations. Subway Weekender has the map.

From 4 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday, July 3, downtown 1 trains run express from 137th Street to 96th Street due to track panel installation north of 125th Street.

From 11:30 p.m. Friday, July 2 to 5 a.m. Saturday, July 3, 2 trains run in two sections due to track switch renewal north of 135th Street:

Between Brooklyn College-Flatbush Avenue and 96th Street, then rerouted to the 1 line to 137th Street

Between 149th Street-Grand Concourse and Wakefield-241st Street

Customers may transfer between the 2 and free shuttle buses at 96th Street or 149th Street-Grand concourse.

From 11:30 p.m. Friday, July 2 to 5 a.m. Saturday, July 3, free shuttle buses replace 3 trains between 148th Street and 96th Street due to track switch renewal north of 135th Street. 1 and 2 trains replace the 3 between 96th Street and Times Square-42nd Street.

From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, July 3 to 5 a.m. Sunday, July 4, uptown A trains run express from Canal Street to 59th Street-Columbus Circle due to a track chip out north of West 4th Street.

From 6:30 a.m. to midnight, Saturday, July 3, uptown C trains run express from Canal Street to 59th Street-Columbus Circle due to a track chip out north of West 4th Street.

From 11 p.m. Friday, July 2 to 6 a.m. Saturday, July 3 and from 11 p.m. Saturday, July 3 to 7 a.m. Sunday, July 4, Manhattan-bound D trains skip 174th-175th Sts. and 170th Street due to a track chip out north of 170th Street.

From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, July 3 to 5 a.m. Sunday, July 4, uptown E trains skip Spring and 23rd Streets due to a track chip out north of West 4th Street.

From 3:30 a.m. Saturday, July 3 to 10 p.m. Sunday, July 4, there are no J trains between Broadway Junction and Jamaica Center due to track panel work at Crescent Street. E trains and free shuttle buses provide alternate service.

From 12:01 a.m. to 5 a.m. Saturday, July 3, the 42nd Street S shuttle runs overnight due to track switch renewal north of 135th Street.

3 Responses to “The people that you meet each day”

According to the signs in stations, July 5 is on a Saturday schedule, not a Sunday schedule.

And there’s a big service change on Monday that isn’t listed here: no L service between 8th Avenue and Myrtle-Wyckoff, and the M (normally a shuttle on weekends) is extended to 57th and 6th to compensate.